Cerebral_DownTime wrote:I already like Dr. Narcisse after one episode. Dude is cold and calculating. I'm not sure if they're setting him up as the main antagonist or not. Van Alden has gone from a domineering figure with the Prohibition Agency, to a meek guy trying to eek out a living working for people he fears.

I was surprised to see them bring in J. Edgar Hoover. I really have no idea where they're going with Harrow. I have no interest in seeing him live a farm life.

Harrow was scarred emotionally by last year's shootout, this is his attempt to "move on."

It won't work as we already are starting to see. He'll be back in Jersey soon, more ruthless than ever.

He wasn't that scarred, he left a trail of corpses from AC to Wisconsin.

I'm kinda glad we haven't seen much of Margaret, I like Kelly MacDonald, have since Trainspotting, but she's such a downer plot wise.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:It's weird to hear Narcisse talk about race mixing like some Klan dingbat in bed sheets. An interesting view.

Like I said , the character is based off of Marcus Garvy, who was like Malcom X on steroids. He wanted to move all the African Americans back to Africa,He tried but failed to turn the African country of Liberia into the black Israel for all the African Americans to flock to. He also felt that whites where a inferior race (this guys was like bizzaro world Hitler), he was also very influential with the Harlem Renaissance.

"I don't think they're building chemical weapons in Berea. But they might be. I can't say for sure."Chuck Klosterman

Liberia...... when the freed slaves moved there, the first thing they did was enslave the natives on the same plantation system they just escaped.

They also still eat each other over there. Just ask General Butt Naked (real guy during the last civil war, former cannibal and now preacher for God). Prince Johnson tortured, killed, and ate the president in the early 90's.

After two episodes it just seems so disjointed. No flow from scene to scene and it's jumping from AC to Chicago to wherever Richard is (near Milwaukee). Maybe that's the problem with having sooooo many characters to service but it seems like a few should be dropped. Narcisse will obviously be a player the whole season but from the first two episodes, nothing has connected, there's no overall plot though the takedown of booze in AC seems to be coming, and most of the scenes are just boring. I'm still watching but it's not even mandatory Sunday viewing anymore.

After two episodes it just seems so disjointed. No flow from scene to scene and it's jumping from AC to Chicago to wherever Richard is (near Milwaukee). Maybe that's the problem with having sooooo many characters to service but it seems like a few should be dropped. Narcisse will obviously be a player the whole season but from the first two episodes, nothing has connected, there's no overall plot though the takedown of booze in AC seems to be coming, and most of the scenes are just boring. I'm still watching but it's not even mandatory Sunday viewing anymore.

One of the many things that makes great shows like BWE and mad men so outstading (FU Hiko) is that they are fearless going from season to season.

Give the plot lines more patience than two episodes to come together. Doubting BWE is gonna Pulp Fiction the whole season.

After two episodes it just seems so disjointed. No flow from scene to scene and it's jumping from AC to Chicago to wherever Richard is (near Milwaukee). Maybe that's the problem with having sooooo many characters to service but it seems like a few should be dropped. Narcisse will obviously be a player the whole season but from the first two episodes, nothing has connected, there's no overall plot though the takedown of booze in AC seems to be coming, and most of the scenes are just boring. I'm still watching but it's not even mandatory Sunday viewing anymore.

This is not a new thing, though. That has been their MO for the last couple seasons. Strange disjointed seemingly unrelated storylines that have so far come together by the end of each season. I think they've earned trust and patience.

Last season identified the main bad villain pretty quick in Gyp. Then expanded it to become a full war for AC.

I don't mind this start. It's like you're getting a few bread crumbs to follow. Nucky going to Florida for some reason. Gillian and Ron Livingston, Capone's first foray into controlling politics in Cicero. I hope we get more of Lucky, Lansky, and Siegel.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:Last season identified the main bad villain pretty quick in Gyp. Then expanded it to become a full war for AC.

I don't mind this start. It's like you're getting a few bread crumbs to follow. Nucky going to Florida for some reason. Gillian and Ron Livingston, Capone's first foray into controlling politics in Cicero. I hope we get more of Lucky, Lansky, and Siegel.

I think this is the building of an overall Two-season storyline.

They were season-to-season coming into this year, but now they know they have some time to build things. I could be wrong, but that's the feeling I'm getting.

I still think the Harrow storyline is an intentional "swerve" for the character to give the actor more to do, but I also think that story will be wrapped in the upcoming episode. If he's not brooding and/or killing people, he's just not interesting enough for the show.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:Last season identified the main bad villain pretty quick in Gyp. Then expanded it to become a full war for AC.

I don't mind this start. It's like you're getting a few bread crumbs to follow. Nucky going to Florida for some reason. Gillian and Ron Livingston, Capone's first foray into controlling politics in Cicero. I hope we get more of Lucky, Lansky, and Siegel.

I think this is the building of an overall Two-season storyline.

They were season-to-season coming into this year, but now they know they have some time to build things. I could be wrong, but that's the feeling I'm getting.

I still think the Harrow storyline is an intentional "swerve" for the character to give the actor more to do, but I also think that story will be wrapped in the upcoming episode. If he's not brooding and/or killing people, he's just not interesting enough for the show.

In fact, I fear for his sister.

Not as much as the tax asessor should fear Harrow.

here's my whacky ass filmy artsy fartsy WAG.

Either Harrows inability to or his sister's ability to shoot the dying dog was some sort of foreshadowing. IDK who will be the dog between the 2 tho.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:Last season identified the main bad villain pretty quick in Gyp. Then expanded it to become a full war for AC.

I don't mind this start. It's like you're getting a few bread crumbs to follow. Nucky going to Florida for some reason. Gillian and Ron Livingston, Capone's first foray into controlling politics in Cicero. I hope we get more of Lucky, Lansky, and Siegel.

It's nice to start slow and build but there's so many characters and storylines, every episode has half the interesting ones missing. It might build on something eventually but I'd much rather see Al Capone every episode than Eli's little shit son trying to impress some losers by getting booze. I don't care about Gillian and Ron Liviginston; they're been completely separated from the entire cast with a standalone storyline that is boring. Also, no scenes this week about the FBI investigation with their new informant taking over the old crooked cops dealings.

Something's happening in Florida but as a land deal it has no where near the excitement of a booze territory war. I love Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Narcisse but this season has just been.... boring.

One of the many things that makes great shows like BWE and mad men so outstading (FU Hiko) is that they are fearless going from season to season.

Please do not compare BWE to Mad Men. Mad Men is entirely a character study and of course as a straight drama, is nothing but a slow burn. BWE is a gigantic ensemble with lavish production and tons of gangster violence and still manages to make that boring. Now if Narcisse can turn Dunn Pernsly against Chalky, we might have something.

Yeah.... I have no idea what Ron Livington's role is. He'seems just like a dopey rube stuck to one of the most annoying characters since Calamity Jane. The Narcisse/Chalky angle is the best one going and could have the best payoff other than Chicago.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:Yeah.... I have no idea what Ron Livington's role is. He'seems just like a dopey rube stuck to one of the most annoying characters since Calamity Jane. The Narcisse/Chalky angle is the best one going and could have the best payoff other than Chicago.

There was no need to bring Eli's kid into it.....

This season feels a lot like season two with its "slow burn" world/plot-building. Season Three was relatively fast-paced and really hit on all cylinders with Gyp from Episode one.

That being said, I have no real problem with the pacing other than they're taking forever to get to "the point."

Livingston's character is a total mystery and that's fine, except the longer they hold off on revealing his purpose, the higher the expectation will be on what his purpose "Should" be.

I still don't understand why Gretchen Moll's character wasn't killed off last season. She has no useful function in the show since Jimmy died, and . . . (2,000-word rant)

I'm giving Eli's kid a few more weeks before I pass judgment on his storyline.

As predicted, the story with Harrow was a distraction to give him something to do as an actor. I'm just glad they didn't kill his sister. I really thought they were going to kill his sister, which is a huge compliment to the show.

The Narcisse, Chalky angle is the best thing going so far, but as always, we'll see how Nucky's story plays out.

Good episode. Capone's brothers are awesome. I cannot wait for Van Alden to snap again. Loved seeing Lansky take the first step to replace AR, then go Old Testament on that guy's face. And Eli's kid killed another kid. That should go over well.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:Good episode. Capone's brothers are awesome. I cannot wait for Van Alden to snap again. Loved seeing Lansky take the first step to replace AR, then go Old Testament on that guy's face. And Eli's kid killed another kid. That should go over well.

No Gillian and much more Chicago.

Wait until they figure out kid got his liquor from Micky Doyle.

Van Alden is in a tight spot.

The showdown looming with Chalkie and young Jim Brown are gonna be really good.

But the cliffhanger is whether your great great uncle is gonna crack with the Feds. Nookie is now crossing state lines.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:Mickey Doyle didn't poison it. All he did was give the kids a case of booze. The Feds have nothing in Kessler, Margaret would be the canary.

I wasn't paying close enough attention when they busted into the chem cabinet. What the holy hell did they put in that kid's hooch? Good God, what a terrible way to die.

They had no idea either, that's why kid ended up Ebolafied. I think the they were tying to make super Milk of Magnesia, but they grabbed the wrong sulfate and he bled to death from his stomach and GI tract.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:Mickey Doyle didn't poison it. All he did was give the kids a case of booze. The Feds have nothing in Kessler, Margaret would be the canary.

I wasn't paying close enough attention when they busted into the chem cabinet. What the holy hell did they put in that kid's hooch? Good God, what a terrible way to die.

They had no idea either, that's why kid ended up Ebolafied. I think the they were tying to make super Milk of Magnesia, but they grabbed the wrong sulfate and he bled to death from his stomach and GI tract.

Pfft.

Like you never puked your stomach lining and blood up after a lost weekend.

I once drunkenly staggered down the streets of Darwin, Australia, with a Scotsman (name lost to time) drinking . . . . something and yelling out to anyone who would listen, "Where are the hookers in this town?!?!? Where's the women?!?!?!"

In retrospect, it's miracle we weren't arrested.

And no, we never found the hookers. Once again, in retrospect, probably a good thing.

justmebd wrote:I once drunkenly staggered down the streets of Darwin, Australia, with a Scotsman (name lost to time) drinking . . . . something and yelling out to anyone who would listen, "Where are the hookers in this town?!?!? Where's the women?!?!?!"

In retrospect, it's miracle we weren't arrested.

And no, we never found the hookers. Once again, in retrospect, probably a good thing.

I fail to see how not finding the hookers could be viewed as a good thing.

Well that looked like it threw cold water on the idea of seeing Eli bash Mickey's head in. Now it looks like it might be Thompson vs Thompson Rd 2 if Eli finds out about this.

Random thought; What if Roy is some sort of serial killer that preys on rich, lonely women? He just picked the wrong one. Just a shot in the dark.

The more Chicago we get the better. I'm gonna miss Frank Capone, the dude that played him was great and i've seen him in other stuff, I just can't remember what. They might write out the brewery double-cross that landed Torio in jail and led to O'Bannion's death. Replacing it with the O'Bannion being somehow responsible for Chicago cops lighting Frank up.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:Well that looked like it threw cold water on the idea of seeing Eli bash Mickey's head in. Now it looks like it might be Thompson vs Thompson Rd 2 if Eli finds out about this.

Random thought; What if Roy is some sort of serial killer that preys on rich, lonely women? He just picked the wrong one. Just a shot in the dark.

The more Chicago we get the better. I'm gonna miss Frank Capone, the dude that played him was great and i've seen him in other stuff, I just can't remember what. They might write out the brewery double-cross that landed Torio in jail and led to O'Bannion's death. Replacing it with the O'Bannion being somehow responsible for Chicago cops lighting Frank up.

Interesting, we'll see how much the writers want to "interpret" the real history.

I'm upset Eddie is gone for two reasons:1. Eddie was a great character and it's always a shame to lose one in a show.2. For all the effort they put into saving his life last season, why just off him now?

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:I think they offed him because they wanted his guilt to be the death of him. It also ensures his past never comes to light, and he'll never have to face Nucky and his own disloyalty.

I get the endgame of the storyline, I'm just not sure why they decided to go in that direction to begin with.

All I can think of is they were trying to find a way to make Agent Knox more menacing, and Kessler became the victim.

It's the perfect time to kill him, mid season, the plot involving the FBI is starting to pick up steam. He's the first domino to fall..... no pun intended. Knox did a get job of showing menace when he allowed that dirty agent to get a chest full of buckshot.

Mickey might be the next target for Knox, he sure as hell can't keep his mouth shut.

That was a boring ass episode. And good lord Patrica Arquette has lost her looks. Maybe i'm just comparing her to what I remember in True Romance..... which was like 20 years ago.

Agent Knox gave all the contents of the deposit box to Eli, so i'm not sure how much he could have gathered from it. Plus his argument with Hoover. I think it's Mickey who suspects Knox is playing a double game. All those comments about rats.

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:That was a boring ass episode. And good lord Patrica Arquette has lost her looks. Maybe i'm just comparing her to what I remember in True Romance..... which was like 20 years ago.

Agent Knox gave all the contents of the deposit box to Eli, so i'm not sure how much he could have gathered from it. Plus his argument with Hoover. I think it's Mickey who suspects Knox is playing a double game. All those comments about rats.

Had no idea that was Arquette. Yeesh.

It was a set up episode. A lil slow.

I think Eli got a clue when he looked at the handkerchief. He looked at the monogram and a lightbulp seemed to go of. If he using an assumed name?

But I think he looked at the docs and has what he needs for his grand interstate case. I think they will end up having to take him out.

While this season hasn't been as buzzworthy as last season, by no means has it been bad.

Last night's episode had the first real "Holy Shit!" moment when Chalky and Purnsley battled it out. Even though we all saw it coming, that was brutal. I thought Chalky was going to throw Daughter in front of Purnsley's gun when that scene started, so I was very happy to be wrong. This is better.

These last four episodes should (hopefully) raise the show back up in the general public awareness between Capone, Chalky, and what I think will be the Death of Willie, probably right in front of Eli.